Classical Monetary System of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay

The Great War was one of the events that had the greatest impact on the issues, in this context the first minting attempts of the classic period were developed and had a notable impact, limiting and in many cases canceling the issues.

This conflict began in 1839 in Argentinean territory, and that confronted General Fructuoso Rivera and General Manuel Oribe, had moved since 1842 to the territory of the Republic.[8] General Manuel Oribe burst into Uruguayan territory and reached the city of Montevideo, laying siege to the capital, which became known as the Siege of Montevideo.[9]

Once this siege was installed, two governments were declared; on the one hand, the so-called Defense Government, led by Rivera[10] and installed in the city (until May 13, 1843, when Joaquín Suárez took over as president), and the Cerrito Government, led by Oribe,[11] who claimed the presidency in Cerrito de la Victoria.

• The 5 cent. coin was popularly known as "cinquiño", coming from the Portuguese term Cinquinho, which corresponded to a silver coin of King Manuel of Portugal with a value of 5 reis.[14]

There are two distinct stages in the first period of the Casa de Moneda de Montevideo, which are detailed below.

This stage began with the minting of a 20 centésimos coin on the afternoon of December 13 and lasted until mid-March 1844, when the Mint suspended its activities.[18] During this period the institution depended on the Political Chief of the city of Montevideo and its director was Don Domingo Parpal and minted coins of 20 centésimos of 1843, 5, 20 and 40 centésimos of 1844 in addition to the magnificent piece of the Peso Fuerte or Peso del Sitio.[19] All these pieces were made in the workshop located in the "Casa Central de Policía".

Immediately after the promulgation of Law No. 254 of December 13, 1843, the first trials were carried out by issuing 20 cent coins with the same stamps used by Agustín Jouve in 1839, with the date changed from 1840 to 1843. The characteristic of these pieces is that since the date was modified, the number 3 appears forced. These pieces are the first issued by the Casa de Moneda Nacional.[20]

• This coin was known by the name of "Vintén" which comes from the Portuguese expression "Vintem" which corresponds to a coin with the value of 20 réis of copper.[14]

They were issued throughout the first stage of the Mint. They were pieces that contributed to give solidity to the development of commerce and helped to put an end to the great shortage of circulating currency that existed in the new Republic.

• Five different mintages are known for the 5 cent. piece.
• The 40 cent. coin was the only one minted at the Mint with this value. For its minting, a number of stamps were used that have not yet been accurately determined, so that more than 20 variants of this piece are known.

One of these variants is known as the "Sol de Cabellera",[23] since on the obverse the face of the sun corresponds to a native with long hair. Due to its great relief, it is very rare to find specimens in good condition, which makes it a very coveted piece by collectors.

This piece is the only silver coin to be minted at the Casa de Moneda de Montevideo. This minting was carried out in an extremely reduced number (a little more than 1,000) due to the scarcity of materials.[24] This shortage of materials (caused by the Siege of Montevideo) could be overcome because materials were collected inside the besieged square. Mates, spoons, light bulbs, spurs, etc., all made of silver, were collected from the citizens, among them Andrés Lamas himself or personalities such as Giuseppe Garibaldi or Isidoro de María.[14] The collected silver, naturally impure, product of the different qualities of silver collected, was analyzed by the expert chemist Professor Julio Antonio Lenoble, who classified the material with a fine 10 1/2 dineros (0.875).

• Some pieces minted on coins from other countries are known.
• This piece would circulate only in Montevideo since on February 15, 1844, from his headquarters in the Cerrito de la Victoria, General Manuel Oribe (Chief of the forces that besieged Montevideo) prohibits the circulation throughout the territory of the Republic.

It is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful coins of the Classical Monetary. It was minted with similar characteristics to those of a Spanish peso. It is believed that it was minted more as a commemorative element than for circulation. This idea is based on the good condition in which the specimens have arrived to our time (although some specimens undoubtedly circulated). The following is a small passage from a speech made by Andrés Lamas to the President of the Republic, Joaquín Suárez, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Casa de Moneda Nacional.

YOUR EXCELLENCY. Sir: I have the honor to present to Your Excellency the first silver coin destined for circulation, minted at the Casa de Moneda Nacional. This coin, Mr. President, is monumental, and this monument is unique to this day on the eastern and western banks of the Rio de la Plata. This coin is the most finished symbol, Mr. President, of the National Independence. In all times and in the public law of all nations, the minting of coins has been the highest prerogative of the Independent Empire.[26]

The Casa de Moneda Nacional, once out of operation, continued to depend on the Political Chief of the city of Montevideo, until May 27, 1844, when it became dependent on the Ministry of Finance (a position held by Andres Lamas). On September 20, 1844, Andrés Lamas resigned from the Ministry of Finance due to a series of denunciations he received for irregularities committed in the Casa de Monedas.[27] At the head of this ministry would now be Don Santiago Sayago who would order on October 20 the opening of the mint designating Don Juan de Bernade y Mederos as General Director.

The existing stamps were immediately inspected and found to be in very poor condition, so the Director obtained authorization to have new ones engraved. During this period only 40 cent coins were issued with a date of 1844 (as was seen previously in issue 40 cent of 1844).[20] This stage of the Casa de Monedas lasted until mid-January 1845, when it was definitively closed and the materials of Agustín Jouve used up to that time were returned.

In 1854 the National Mint was again established (but this time in the Government Fort) and Don Juan Gard was appointed as Director, with Don Agustín Rivero as engraver and Don Francisco Didión as assayer. On June 24, 1854, Laws No. 414 and 418 were enacted authorizing the minting of gold coins of 10, 20 and 40 reales together with coins of 5, 20 and 40 hundredths of copper. The minting in gold was never carried out, while in copper only coins of 5 and 20 centésimos were issued, bearing the years 1854 and 1855.[28]

• The 5 cent. piece has the peculiarity that the front shows the number 4 of the year 1854 "Forced", this would lead to the conclusion that the stamps used in 1840 or 1844 were used, but these do not have the same characteristics, being then a mystery this detail.[30]
• Pieces of 20 cents with date 1854 were minted in 1855 once the production of these last ones was finished, being identical to the ones stamped in the previous year.[30]

There are very few known copies of this piece, in which the coin blanks used for its minting are thicker than the rest and its weight is very close to the legal weight. This is why some numismatists maintain (based on the few copies) that it is an assay, while others (based on the weight of the piece) maintain that it is one of the first minted and that the coin blanks were reduced to economize its production.[32]

There is only one specimen in the National Historical Museum, stamped in lead, which corresponds to the first proof of the 20 cent coin issued on the afternoon of December 13, 1843.

Law Nº 414 of June 24, 1854 established the minting of gold coins of 40 reales (in addition to 10 and 20 reales), which was never carried out. However, very few of these coins were minted, with a module of 22 mm and a weight of 7 grams. These are the only pieces to bear the mint mark (Mº).